Grains Category

Grains

To find substitutions for grains in general, click here.

Grains form the base of the Food Guide Pyramid, and nutritionists are constantly nagging us to eat more of them, since they're high in nutrients, low in fat, and dirt cheap.

Cooks usually consign grains to supporting roles, letting them absorb the flavors of other ingredients while adding texture and body. It often helps to toast grains briefly before cooking them so as to bring out the flavor and speed up the cooking time.

Most grains have been processed by the time they reach us. The first step at the mill is to remove the inedible outer hull, yielding what's called a whole grain, berry, or groat. Whole grains are nutritious, but they're chewy and slow to cook.

To fix that, the nutritious bran layer beneath the hull is sometimes scoured off as well, resulting in a pearled or polished grain. Whole or polished grains are then sometimes ground, rolled, or chopped into flakes, small grits, meal, or flour.

amaranth, amaranth seeds

These tiny ancient seeds have been cultivated in the Americas for several millennia. They're rich in protein and calcium, and have a pleasant, peppery flavor. One variety of amaranth is grown for its leaves, which are called Chinese spinach.

arborio rice, Piedmont rice

This plump white rice can absorb lots of water without getting mushy, so it's perfect for making risotto. The best comes from Italy. Arborio is very well-regarded

baby corn, Chinese baby corn, corn, baby

These are tiny ears of corn that are eaten cob and all. Asian cooks like to add them to stir-fried dishes, and they often show up in salad bars. It's hard to find them fresh, but many markets sell them in cans or jars.

Barley

Barley's been feeding humans for millennia, though it fell out of favor during the last one as people came to see it as low-brow peasant fare. It's most often used in soups and stews, where it serves as both a puffy grain and a thickener, but it also makes a nice side dish or salad. At most markets, you'll have to choose between two types of barley. Hulled barley is the most nutritious, since only the tough outer hulls are polished off. Pearl barley is polished some more, so that the outer bran layer is also scrubbed off. It's less nutritious, but more popular since it's not as chewy as hulled barley and it cooks faster.

barley flakes, flaked barley, rolled barley

To make this, barley kernels are sliced, then rolled flat into flakes. Like rolled oats, rolled barley is usually served as a hot cereal. It takes about 30 minutes to cook.

barley grits

These are barley kernels that have been toasted, and then cracked into smaller pieces in order to speed up the cooking time. They're a bit hard to find.

basmati rice

This aromatic, long-grain rice is grown in the foothills of the Himalayas and is especially popular in India. The cooked grains are dry and fluffy, so they make a nice bed for curries and sauces. Basmati is available as either white or brown rice. Brown basmati has more fiber and a stronger flavor, but it takes twice as long to cook. Aged basmati rice is better, but more expensive.

Bhutanese red rice

Bhutanese red rice

This red short-grain rice is a staple in rural areas of Bhutan, a small kingdom nestled high in the Himalayas. It has a strong, nutty flavor and is best served with other assertive ingredients. It cooks much faster than brown rice.

black barley, Ethiopian black barley

This is similar to pearl barley, only it has a black exterior.

Black fonio is a grain similar to fonio (white fonio). It is also important in the dryer areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

black forbidden rice

black forbidden rice

This has short grains which turn a beautiful indigo when cooked.

black japonica rice

black japonica rice Learn more

black quinoa

Like ordinary quinoa, this cooks quickly, has a mild flavor, and a slightly crunchy texture. Rinse off its bitter coating before using.

bomba rice

Bomba is a type of rice prized for its starchy center, which can absorb three times its volume of cooking liquid. It is often used in paella. It retains distinct short grains after cooking.

bran, polishings

This is the made from the outer husk of the grain, and it's a rich source of fiber. There are two types of fiber: insoluble fiber, which passes right through us undigested, and soluble fiber, which is digested by friendly bacteria in our intestines. Insoluble fiber is found in wheat bran and corn bran, and it's good for flushing out the intestines. Soluble fiber, found in oat bran, makes you feel full, so it's good for dieters

brown rice, whole grain rice

Many rice varieties come as either brown rice or white rice. Brown rice isn't milled as much as white, so it retains the bran and germ. That makes brown rice more fiber-rich, nutritious, and chewy. Unfortunately, it doesn't perform as well as white rice in many recipes. Long grains of brown rice aren't as fluffy and tender, and short grains aren't as sticky. Brown rice also takes about twice as long to cook and has a much shorter shelf life (because of the oil in the germ). Keep it in a cool, dark place for not more than three months. Refrigeration can extend shelf life.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat is gluten-free, and loaded with nutrients, especially protein, and it has a nutty, earthy flavor. It's most commonly ground into a dark, gritty flour and used to make everything from pancakes to soba noodles. Eastern Europeans also like their buckwheat crushed into small groats, which they toast in oil and use to make side dishes and breakfast cereals.

buckwheat grits, buckwheat cereal, cream of buckwheat

buckwheat grits

These are finely ground buckwheat groats that cook very quickly. They're commonly used as a breakfast cereal.

buckwheat groats

buckwheat groats

These are buckwheat kernels that are stripped of their inedible outer coating and then crushed into smaller pieces. Unprocessed white groats are slightly bitter, so before you cook them it's a good idea to toast them in oil for several minutes until they're rust-colored. This removes the bitterness and brings out a pleasant, nutty flavor. If you don't want to do this yourself, you can buy already roasted groats, called kasha.

bulgur, ala, birghil, bulgar, bulghur, bulgur wheat, burghal, burghul

Bulgur is made from whole wheat that's been soaked and baked to speed up the cooking time. It's especially popular in the Middle East, where it's used to make tabouli and pilafs. Bulgur comes either whole, or cracked into fine, medium, or coarse grains.

Calasparra rice

Calasparra rice

Calasparra rice like bomba rice is very absorbent and often used in paella.

converted rice, parboiled rice

This is a good compromise between nutritious brown rice and tender, fast-cooking white rice. Converted rice is steamed before it's husked, a process that causes the grains to absorb many of the nutrients from the husk. When cooked, the grains are more nutritious, firmer, and less clingy than white rice grains. Uncle Ben's is a well-known brand.

corn, maize, sweet corn

This is the only grain that's commonly eaten as a fresh vegetable. Native to the Americas, corn is a great source of vitamin A, fiber, and other nutrients. When corn comes into season during the summer, it's common to see people in supermarkets peeling back husks in search of ears with perfect rows of kernels. Don't do that yourself. Crooked rows taste just as good as straight, and keeping the husk on helps the corn stay sweet. Freshness is a better criterion, since the sugars in corn begin converting into starch the moment it's picked. The best test is to sample some kernels. Frozen corn kernels are a good substitute when fresh corn is out of season, but canned corn is only a fair substitute.

cracked wheat

These are cracked whole wheat kernels. They cook faster than wheat berries, but not as fast as bulgur.

cream of rice

cream of rice Learn more

einkorn wheat

Einkorn wheat is an ancient variety of wheat first domesticated in the southern Turkey 10,000 years ago. Einkorn is a hardy wheat species but is low yielding. Einkorn flour has a nutty flavor and results in a chewy bread.

flakes, rolled grains

These are grains that are steamed, rolled, and flaked. They can be cooked briefly to make a hot cereal, sprinkled on casseroles, or added to granola mixes, cookies, or soups.

flour

Flours are made from grains or nuts that are finely ground to a powdery consistency. They're used to make breads and other baked goods, but they also serve to thicken stews and sauces and to coat foods about to be fried.

Fonio is a grass similar to millet. It is an important grain in the dry areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

germ

This is the exceptionally nutritious embryo found within the grain kernel. It contains oil, so it has a relatively short shelf life. Many cooks store small jars of it in the refrigerator, and use small amounts of it to fortify breads and cereals.

glutinous rice, botan rice, Chinese sweet rice, Japanese rice, mochi rice

Despite its name, this rice isn't sweet and it doesn't contain gluten. Instead, it's a very sticky, short-grain rice that is widely used by Asians, who use it to make sushi and various desserts. You can buy this as either white or black (actually a rust color) rice.

grains

To get information about different forms and varieties of grains, click here. If you're looking to avoid gluten, consider a gluten-free grain, like amaranth, buckwheat, corn, quinoa, rice, and teff.

grits, cracked grains, steel-cut grains

These are grains that have been cut into smaller pieces so they cook faster.

hato mugi, Job's tears, pressed barley

Look for these large, pressed barley kernels in Asian markets.

Himalayan red rice

Himalayan red rice

This is a Himalayan version of our long-grain brown rice, only the bran is red, not brown.

hominy, posole, pozole

These are hulled corn kernels that have been stripped of their bran and germ. Southern cooks usually boil whole or ground hominy until it's tender, and then they serve it in much the same way that Northern cooks would serve potatoes. Varieties include lye hominy, which is made by soaking corn kernels in a weak lye bath, and pearl hominy, which is made by crushing corn kernels mechanically. White hominy is made from white corn kernels, and the sweeter yellow hominy is made from yellow. Samp is coarsely ground or broken hominy, while hominy grits are more finely ground. You can buy hominy canned or dried.

hominy grits, corn grits, grits

This Southern staple is made from hominy or plain corn that's been ground until it has the consistency of coarse sand. It's used as a side dish, a breakfast cereal, or as an ingredient in baked goods. Varieties include quick-cooking grits and instant grits.

hulled barley, barley groats

This is the least processed form of barley, with just the outermost hull removed. While it's chewier and slower to cook than more processed forms of barley, it's rich in fiber and really good for you. Look for it in health food stores.

instant oats

These are very thin, precooked oats that need only be mixed with a hot liquid. They usually have flavorings and salt added. They're convenient, but not as chewy and flavorful as slower-cooking oats.

instant rice, precooked rice

This is white rice that's been precooked and dehydrated so that it cooks quickly. It's relatively expensive, though, and you sacrifice both flavor and texture. White instant rice cooks in about five minutes, brown in about ten. Minute Rice is a well-known brand.